I am writing in response to your agency's request, on behalf of one Delaware
school district, for a flexibility agreement allowing the district to provide
supplemental educational services (SES) under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB),
to students attending Title I schools in the first year of school improvement.

SES is a crucial component of NCLB, giving low-income families real options
to obtain free tutoring and other academic enrichment services for their children.
This extra help for students who attend schools in need of improvement is a key
element of school improvement efforts. We have learned valuable lessons about
SES in these first few years of implementation. Creating and implementing a successful
SES program takes coordination and cooperation by States, school districts, providers,
and parents.

Unfortunately, we know that around the country, not enough eligible students
are participating in SES. Therefore, in order to increase both the number of students
receiving these services and the quality of services provided to students, the
U.S. Department of Education (Department) is expanding the SES pilot begun last
year. We are allowing the one Delaware district on whose behalf you applied, as
well as several districts in four other States, to provide SES to students attending
schools in year one of improvement. The results we have seen in the 2005-06 school
year, the first year of the pilot, have been promising. For the 2006-07 school
year, the pilot will continue to address two key priorities: (1) ensuring that
more students are receiving SES, and (2) ensuring the provision of better information
on how SES programs are improving the academic achievement of students receiving
services. In addition, as with last year's pilot, we hope to gain valuable information
about SES in participating districts – information that can be shared with
other States and districts to help them improve the quality of these services.

You have requested that one school district within Delaware, New Castle Vocational
and Technical School District, be allowed to offer SES to eligible students in
Title I schools in the first year of school improvement under NCLB. This district
would then offer SES and public school choice to eligible students enrolled in
any school that moves to the second year of school improvement.

The Department has reviewed Delaware's application for the 2006-07 pilot and
has found that it meets the three key principles I outlined as requirements for
participation in the pilot: (1) timely notification of adequate yearly progress,
(2) a State SES evaluation in progress, and (3) a State assessment system that
our Department has reviewed and to which the Department has granted Full Approval
with Recommendations. Additionally, New Castle Vocational and Technical School
District has issued timely public school choice and SES parental notification
letters.

Therefore, I am approving Delaware's request for participation in the pilot
by approving a flexibility agreement with the State under section 9401 of the
ESEA. This agreement permits the district to provide SES to eligible students
in Title I schools in the first year of school improvement, thereby reversing
the order outlined in sections 1116(b)(1)(E) and 1116(b)(5)(B) of Title I. Approval
is conditioned on Delaware's fulfilling the conditions detailed in the enclosure
and summarized here:

More students participate in SES and public school choice;

The Delaware Department of Education must provide information on the academic
achievement of students receiving SES in the participating district;

The Delaware Department of Education must ensure parent access to SES providers
in the participating district;

The Delaware Department of Education must ensure timely parental notification
and multiple or continuous enrollment periods in the participating district;

The Delaware Department of Education must participate in a data exchange project
with the Department; and

The Delaware Department of Education must submit a report to the Department
on the implementation of this pilot by June 30, 2007.

In addition, as required by section 9401(b)(3)(B) of the ESEA, within 30 days
of the date of this letter, New Castle Vocational and Technical School District
must provide notice and information to the public about its participation in the
pilot in the manner in which it customarily provides similar notice to the public.
The district must also submit a report under section 9401(e)(1) of the ESEA to
the Delaware Department of Education at the end of the 2006-07 school year that
describes its provision of SES in Title I schools in the first year of school
improvement; describes how those schools continued to provide Title I services
to eligible students during that year; and evaluates the progress of the district
and schools in increasing the quality of instruction and improving the academic
achievement of students. Your agency must then submit a report to the Department
based on the district's report.

This flexibility agreement applies to the provision of SES in Title I schools
in the one pilot district during the 2006-07 school year.

SES is a vital component of NCLB, and we look forward to working with you to
ensure that students are accessing services and succeeding in the classroom.